Multiple Sclerosis: A Breakthrough Is on the Way

By Kelley Luckstein

A number of improved treatments will be available soon, and Novartis' Fingolimod could lead the way…

What doctors can't guarantee is that the drugs will suppress the illness without triggering infections. "We desperately need new drugs for MS," says Dr. Mark Keegan, section chair of multiple sclerosis at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, but "any new medication that alters the immune system needs to be used with caution."